Volkswagen has shown off its first plug-in hybrid van, in the form of the VW Caddy eHybrid. The Volkswagen Caddy eHybrid will come with a petrol engine and a 19.7kWh electric battery and motor, with the latter providing an all-electric range of 76 miles.
Notably, and slightly unusually for a plug-in hybrid, this means that it should satisfy the requirements of the government’s plug-in van grant, which requires eligible vehicles to be able to travel more than 60 miles on electric power alone. Usually this is the domain of pure electric vehicles as PHEVs can’t typically go this far on battery power. This would mean it could qualify for a discount of up to £5,000 off the purchase price.
As well as domestic chargers, the VW Caddy eHybrid’s battery can be charged at DC fast chargers with capacity of up to 50kW.
The engine is a 1.5-litre petrol and the combined power output of the vehicle is 150hp. All versions of the eHybrid are fitted with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox as standard.
VW is offering the eHybrid in a choice of normal or long wheelbase, and it will be available as a passenger version in addition to the Caddy Cargo van.
How much will the VW Caddy eHybrid cost and when can I buy one?
UK pricing hasn’t been confirmed for the VW Caddy eHybrid, but it is set to cost from €36,985 (£31,679, not including VAT) in Germany, where it is already available to order.
However, we have been told that the final decision on whether the Caddy eHybrid will come to the UK or not has yet to be taken. Given that the mechanically identical Ford Transit Connect is coming to the UK it would make sense for VW to follow suit, but Volkswagen UK told us that this is still to be confirmed.
